


Kingsnake

by Heartcrystal2000



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Basically just a big fight scene, Battle, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Alive, Future Fic, Gen, Guns, Light Angst, Mild Gore, Protectiveness, Snakes, Some Humor, Spoilers: Volume 5 (RWBY), Swordfighting, arkos, but it’s pretty subtle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 13:10:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17829167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heartcrystal2000/pseuds/Heartcrystal2000
Summary: Late in their third year at Beacon, Team JNPR is sent on a mission to defend a damaged CCT support station in the wilds of Vale. Hoping to save time, the team splits up, with Ren and Nora heading to the tower while Jaune and Pyrrha scout for potential threats. But when the duo encounters an ancient Grimm lurking in the forest, their seemingly easy task turns into a fight for their lives.





	Kingsnake

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently this is what happens when I think of a cool way to kill a Grimm.
> 
> Anyways, I guess this kind of takes place in an AU where Beacon didn’t fall? I’ll probably think of some backstory to explain how all that happened, not sure when it’ll be done, though. In the meantime, have a giant snake fight!

"None of this is working," I say, looking at my partner.

Jaune glances at me, his eyes barely visible above the rim of his shield. "Yeah, and I'm just about out of ideas."

We both turn our attention back to our opponent—the monstrously huge King Taijitu coiled up on the other side of the glade, its scaly hide covered in scars from past battles. The twin heads sway back and forth, keeping one set of eyes on Jaune and the other on me.

Waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

" _It fights like it knows what we're going to do. We must not be the first huntsmen to try to kill this Grimm,_ " I think. " _And if it survived long enough to grow this big, it must be an intelligent one._ "

"How's your Aura?" Jaune asks.

I concentrate for a second, judging that it's at about half-strength by now. "I'll be fine. We just need to end this quickly."

"I could give—"

"No. You've been hit worse than I have, you need to conserve what Aura you have left."

A flicker of motion catches my eye. The Grimm has moved ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly. The head closest to me shifts to the side a bit. I move in turn, never taking my eyes from the beast. "Get ready," I whisper.

Jaune nods and moves to stand back-to-back with me. I watch as the Taijitu rears up to its full height, its heads breaking a few overhanging branches. The halves peel away from each other—the light one moves towards Jaune, the dark one towards me.

Its body as tense and coiled as a spring, the serpent hovers over me. Readying Miló and Akoúo̱, I plant my feet on the forest floor, bracing myself.

Jaws open wide, the Grimm plunges downward, aiming to swallow me whole. Its fangs clash against my shield with a deafening metallic screech. The sheer force of the impact almost knocks me over. Almost. Instead, I drop to my knees, letting the earth take the brunt of the attack.

My arms start to shake as the Taijitu presses down even harder. Hoping to buy myself some time, I push upwards as hard as I can, throwing the serpent off me. But the diversion only buys me a second—the Grimm is already lunging for me again.

Throwing myself to the side, I roll to safety as the Taijitu's head smashes into the ground, leaving it stunned. I jump to my feet and slash it across the snout before it even has a chance to react. My opponent lets out a furious hiss.

Distracted by its twin's distress, the light half turns its attention to me. Jaune takes the opportunity to land a hit on the beast's exposed throat, leaving a dent in the scales.

Darting back a ways, I hit a small button on Miló's hilt. My sword starts to change—the hilt swiveling forwards and elongating into the barrel of a gun, the blade unfolding into the body. Within the span of a second the transformation is complete, leaving a red-and-gold rifle resting in my arms.

I raise the gun, settling the stock against my arm and shoulder and holding it steady. A moment later, I've got my target in my sights. Then I take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and squeeze the trigger.

The sound of gunfire splits the air. My shot hits the dark half squarely on the side of the face, leaving a blood-red crack in its black scales. I empty the magazine into the Grimm, leaving more cracks but never quite getting through.

" _Hm. Seems like I'll need something a little more powerful._ " I reach into the satchel at my belt and pull out eight bullets, each of them stamped with the image of a dark purple flame. Gravity and burn Dust rounds. It's a volatile and hard-to-use mix, but it packs quite the punch. Usually I save them for emergencies. " _Well, I guess this is as good of a time as any._ "

"Jaune, move!" I call out. My partner, still locked in battle with the Taijitu, gives me a quick glance. Then he lands one last hit on the beast before sprinting to a safe distance.

I hurriedly load the ammunition and fire a shot, smoke and sparks bursting from my rifle's muzzle. The bullet explodes on impact as the Gravity Dust creates a massive shockwave, sending flames flying in all directions.

This time my attack actually seems to do some damage. Both halves of the Grimm shriek in pain, shrinking away from the fire. I can see its scales starting to char around the edges.

I shoot again, this time at one of the patches of cracked scales. There's another explosion, more twin screeches. The Taijitu's injured now, but still not that badly. " _I've only got six rounds left and they're barely doing anything,_ " I realize. " _I'm going to have to make these count._ "

I concentrate my next few shots on the already-damaged area, deepening the wound further. Three bullets left. The next two take the light half in the neck and head. I aim the last shot at the dark half's face, taking an extra moment to line up the shot perfectly before firing.

Right before I shoot, the Grimm turns and hisses at me ferociously. The bullet hits it squarely on the snout, blowing up in its face. Screeching and coughing, the Taijitu reels back. For a brief moment, I think that I've really managed to injure it. But then the smoke clears and I see the true extent of the damage—a few burns and one cracked fang. Not nearly enough to stop a Grimm of this size.

By now Jaune's made his way over to me. "Looks like you're really doing a number on that thing!" he exclaims, slightly out of breath.

"I'm afraid it's not as injured as it seems. I can't get through its scales."

My partner frowns. "We just need to find its weak spot."

"Any ideas?" I ask, pulling out a magazine of normal bullets and reloading.

"I can go for the dark side's head if you keep the other half busy," he suggests.

"I'll attack the light one's wounds, then."

"Sounds good. You ready for some climbing?"

"Of course."

Moving in sync, we charge the King Taijitu. The Grimm hisses and lunges for us. Brandishing my shield, I drop to the ground and slide beneath the creature, gouging the bladed edge into its chin as I scramble back to my feet. A little ways away, Jaune blocks another attack and takes a few swings at the Taijitu. "Go, I've got you covered! I'll catch up!" he shouts.

I take a moment to change Miló to spear mode before sinking it deep into the light half's side. Jumping, I grab a hold of the weapon and use it to haul myself up onto the serpent's body.

The Grimm squirms beneath me, twisting and thrashing as it tries to throw me off. I run along its coils, ducking, dodging, and leaping the whole way.

Down on the ground, Jaune is still locked in battle with the dark Taijitu. It blocks his progress at every turn, never giving him a chance to get past it. With a flick of my wrist, I throw Akoúo̱ at the Grimm. My shield bounces rather harmlessly off the creature's scales, leaving barely a scratch. But what it does do is draw the Grimm's attention to me, giving my partner a chance to slip by. He manages to scramble up the serpent's side.

Calling both of the my weapons back to me, I climb the rest of the way to the light Taijitu's head. Clinging to its bony armor with one hand, I use the other to drive my spear into any weak spot I can find—eyes, ears, snout, everything.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Jaune's made his way to the Grimm's other head. Wrapping his legs around the thing's neck, he raises his arms above his head, sword clutched in his fists. His hands start to shimmer with Aura, the white glow radiating down and coating the blade with light. With a yell, he plunges it into the Grimm's skull.

A shockwave travels outward from the point of impact with enough force to rip the leaves from the trees as it passes by. Both halves of the Taijitu let out inhuman wails, thrashing about as if in their death throes. The monster's movements slow from a panicked writhing to a faint twitching before stopping all together. I wait for a moment, then two, then three. Nothing happens.

Letting out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding, I relax my grip on my weapon, leaving the spear stuck in the Grimm's upper jaw. "Well, that certainly was a challenge," I remark, looking to my partner with a relieved grin on my face.

Jaune leans against his sword, panting. Shooting me a look, he says between breaths, "Don't you dare tease me about being tired after 'only one battle' this time. Even you have to admit that took some effort."

"I wouldn't dream of it," I reply with mock chagrin as I begin climbing down the dead Grimm's side. "And, well, you aren't wrong."

I slide the rest of the way to the ground before starting to head over to my partner. But I freeze mid-step.

Something isn't right.

Maybe that kill felt a little too easy after such a hard fight. Maybe it's the fact that the body isn't dissolving yet. Maybe it's because I know that killing one head shouldn't have killed the other. And, now that I think about it, Jaune's sword doesn't look to have gone in deep enough to deal a deathblow.

"Are you okay, Pyrrha?"

One of the Grimm's previously-still eyes flickers towards me. "IT'S NOT—"

The Taijitu snatches me up before I can finish my sentence. It shakes me in its jaws for a moment before throwing me towards the edge of the clearing.

Leaves whip past my face and branches scratch at my armor as I hurtle through the treetops. A moment later, my back smashes against a trunk. Then I fall what feels like a good twenty feet to the ground, landing hard on my stomach and losing a good chunk of my Aura.

The shock drives the breath from my lungs and sets my ears ringing. No matter how hard I try to move, my limbs refuse to work. The most I manage to do is turn my head a bit, watching the battle play out through blurred vision.

Jaune is clinging tightly to his sword, which is still lodged in the dark Taijitu's head. With a yell he yanks the weapon free and slashes at the beast's snout. The Grimm rears back and shakes its head, sending my partner tumbling to the ground. Before he has a chance to recover, the Taijitu knocks his sword from his hand and rips his shield away.

Ignoring the protests from my aching muscles, I force myself to my feet. I stretch out an arm, trying to call my spear back to me, but with the pounding in my head I just can't focus enough yet. " _This will have to do for now,_ " I think, shifting my shield to my right hand. Mustering all the strength I have left, I race as fast as I can to my partner's aid. But it seems I'm already too late.

One of the Grimm's heads grabs Jaune by the legs, lifting him high up into the air. Then it swings down and slams him back into the forest floor hard enough to make his Aura flicker.

The other head decides to join in on the fun. Seemingly trying to outdo its twin, it hurls Jaune high enough that he hits the overhanging tree branches before using its chin to smash him back down. This time his Aura shatters on impact.

Barely slowing down, I throw my shield at the monster as hard as I can. It leaves a small cut on the pale half's head before bouncing off and flying back to me. The dark half takes advantage of the distraction, snatching Jaune up and throwing him into the air one last time.

Screaming out my partner's name, I put on an extra burst of speed, knowing how much damage this thing could do to him now. But even with how fast I'm going it's just not enough.

As if it's happening in slow-motion, I watch the Grimm's head go up and back, its teeth glimmering in the sunlight. Then the beast lunges forward, its jaws snapping shut around Jaune like a steel trap. One of the Taijitu's massive fangs is stopped short by his chestplate.

The other spears him right through the side.

I skid to a stop, tripping and falling to my knees. The air in my lungs turns to ice, the coldness quickly spreading to the rest of me and freezing me in place. Wild, panicked thoughts stab at my mind, so many that I feel like I'm paralyzed. I know I have to get up, I know I have to keep fighting. But all I'm able to do is watch as the awful scene unfolds.

Face contorted with pain, Jaune reaches up and weakly beats his fists against the Taijitu's snout. The Grimm just squeezes its jaws shut tighter, prompting a groan of pain from my partner. I can see blood beginning to trickle from the monster's mouth.

Using every tiny scrap of willpower I have, I force myself to act. Jumping to my feet, I draw my arm back in preparation to throw my shield. I know how precise I'll need to be with this—just a tiny false move and I could hit Jaune instead. Focusing on my target, I line myself up and take aim. Then I pivot around, using the momentum to hurl my shield with all my might.

Akoúo̱ flies straight and true, striking the Taijitu right on the fang I'd cracked earlier. The shield's edge knifes into the already-damaged tooth, snapping it off at the base, before it boomerangs back to me.

The monster opens its mouth wide and shrieks. Jaune, the broken fang still stuck through his side, starts to tumble to the ground. I stretch out my arm, magnetizing his armor and stopping his fall. With a gentle wave of my hand, I set him down in a sheltered spot at the base of a tree, safely away from the fight.

I return my attention to my opponent, the fear in my chest hardening into cold fury. " _I just need to get past its scales and armor. If I can find a weak spot it can't defend then I can take it down,_ " I think, searching the Grimm for any vulnerabilities. My eyes settle on Miló, which is still lodged in the light half's jaw. This time I'm really able to focus on it.

Latching onto the weapon with my Semblance, I pull it out of the monster's jaw and back towards me. But the Taijitu seems to have other plans. It lunges forward and grabs the spear out of the air, clamping it between its teeth.

Then it tosses its head back and swallows the weapon whole.

It takes a moment for me to process what just happened. My shock then quickly turns to alarm. Sure, I'm capable of defending myself with just my shield, but in a one-on-one fight against a Grimm this powerful that would be an awfully big risk. Unless...

I steady my breathing and concentrate, blocking out the rest of the world, letting myself sense the magnetic objects all around me—my armor, my shield, little flakes of iron in the ground. And my spear. It's faint but it's there, I can still reach it. The last piece of an idea clicks into place in my mind.

I turn to the side as I get ready to throw my shield one last time, but freeze halfway through the action. All my years of training and every instinct I have shout at me about how insane it is to completely disarm myself, about all the ways this plan could go horribly wrong. But I know I'll need to be risky to win this fight.

Yelling out a battle cry, I fling Akoúo̱ right at the dark half's head. I keep a hold on the shield with my Semblance, slowing it just enough to be easily grabbable. Just as I'd hoped, the Grimm snatches up my shield and gulps it down a moment later. Then the beast rears back, its necks coiling as it prepares to strike.

I hold both my arms out, the palms of my hands pointed towards the creature. Just like I've done a thousand times before, I reach out to my weapons, willing them to return to me. The Taijitu freezes, twitching slightly, but nothing more happens. Gritting my teeth, I keep up the struggle, pouring every ounce of strength and Aura into my efforts.

Some of the Taijitu's scales start to bend and bulge outward. A moment later, Miló and Akoúo̱ come bursting out of the creature's necks, leaving behind two gaping wounds. My weapons rocket across the clearing, landing perfectly in my hands. Shadows and red mist rise like steam from the metal.

There's no sound this time, no writhing, either. The King Taijitu just crumples to the forest floor with a dull, heavy thud. The edges of its form blur as it begins dissolving into smoke. Slowly, I approach the body, holding my shield in front of me just in case. Even once I'm within striking range, the thing stays perfectly still.

Drawing my arm back, I plunge my spear into one of the dark half's eyes, sinking the weapon in as deep as it'll go. No reaction. I repeat the process with the other half. Still nothing. " _Well, it seems like you're staying dead this time,_ " I think, stepping back.

A glint of sunlight on metal catches my eye. I look down and see Jaune's sword lying where it had fallen nearby. My heart jumps into my throat as I turn and frantically look about for my partner. He's still at the base of the tree I left him by, not having moved at all. I sprint over and drop to the ground next to him.

Eyes squeezed tightly shut, Jaune lies curled up in a ball, breathing raggedly. His hands are wrapped around the fang in his side. I can see blood leaking from the wound, as well as from a myriad of smaller tooth marks. The sight makes my head swim. Steadying my nerves, I turn Jaune onto his side and pry his hands away from the wound. He grunts in pain. "Sorry," I mumble, leaning over to inspect the damage.

Judging from the position of the wound, the Taijitu's fang seems to have stuck my partner mostly through the side, hopefully missing anything too vital. And the fang seems to be stemming some of the blood flow, though I doubt it will for too much longer—it's already disintegrating like the rest of the Grimm's body.

Grabbing some antiseptic and bandages out of my satchel, I set about treating Jaune's injuries. " _As long as I stay focused, I can do this. It's just like the first aid we've practiced in class,_ " I try to reassure myself.

"It's going to be okay, Jaune. I'll take care of you. I just need you to hold on for a little while longer," I whisper, looking at my unconscious partner. "Please, just hold on."

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t worry, luckily Jaune can heal.


End file.
